Holiday handbags, shoes and jewelry are displayed at the H&M Denver on Nov. 9, 2011.

One of the most anticipated store launches in recent memory will come down Thursday with the noon opening of H&M at the former Niketown location at Denver Pavilions.

I previewed the store earlier today and shared my shopping tips at http://tiny.cc/jqz99

Shopping center management is welcoming the Swedish-based retailer by staging a full-on Street Style event with fashion shows from existing merchants like Banana Republic, a ballet performance and music on Glenarm Place and in the Denver Pavilions’ plazas.

If you’re heading to the Pavilions, be sure to check out the “Cut and Sew Challenge” sponsored by the Denver Art Museum and hosted by Fallene Wells, a contestant on “Project Runway” season 9.

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A faux fur hat and shearling jacket highlight an outfit at H&M's new Denver store to open Nov. 10.

The Denver Art Museum is hosting an exhibition beginning in March on the late French designer Yves Saint Laurent. To tie in, four local designers – Melissa May, Trisha Hoke, Heidi Busk and Rachel Marie Hurst — have just hours to create an outfit inspired by YSL. They pre-shopped for fabric and will be working at sewing machines on Glenarm Place in full view of the public. Various dignitaries will judge the results later in the day.
Murals focusing on Denver-based cultural themes designed by Like Minded For more information on the event visit www.DenverPavilions.com or www.DenverArtsWeek.com.

For those coming downtown who don’t know how to navigate the city’s core, the Pavilions offers these tips:
LIGHT RAIL
• Take RTD’s D, H, & F line trains to 16th and California then walk two-blocks to the Denver Pavilions or transfer to the FREE 16th Street MallRide. Take C & E line trains to Denver Union Station then transfer to the FREE 16th Street MallRide buses to the Denver Pavilions. RTD light rail schedules and fare information can be found at www.rtd-denver.com or by calling 303.299.6000.

RIDE YOUR BICYCLE
• There are plenty of on-street bicycle racks at the Denver Pavilions and throughout Downtown Denver. On-street bicycle racks are unattended; park at your own risk. Don’t own a bike? Consider using B-cycle. The Denver Pavilions has a B-cycle station on Glenarm between 15th & 16th, and 6 additional stations are located within a five block radius of the Denver Pavilions. Visit www.denver.bcycle.com for information on exact station locations and rates.

• Most parking lots in Downtown Denver are within an easy walk to the FREE 16th Street MallRide buses offering a direct ride to the Denver Pavilions. The FREE MallRide buses travel over a mile on Denver’s 16th Street Mall from Union Station (Chestnut Place) to Civic Center Park (Broadway St.) and back. It stops at every intersection along the 16th Street Mall and runs daily until 1:30am.
Denver Pavilions was instrumental in that process,” added Manning.